After a freshman season at Lehigh that included being named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Mountain Lakes graduate Alli LaBeau capped it all off by being invited to try out for the women's U.S. National Lacrosse Team.

LaBeau, who led Lehigh in scoring with 29 goals and eight assists, had a team-high 24 draw controls, 16 groundballs and seven caused turnovers, was one of 84 players invited to participate in the three-day tryout last month.

"I think she got noticed as a freshman on a pretty big scale," Lehigh head coach Jill Redfern said of LaBeau. "I think being Rookie of the Year in our conference had a lot to do with it, we do have a lot of athletes in our conference and a lot of strong players and I think the coaches in the Patriot League noticed her, and the selection committee respecting that selection and her ability all added up to her having an opportunity."

LaBeau said that Redfern recommended that she apply to tryout for the team and she found out through an email while she was studying for midterms that she had been invited to try out.

"I think it's really a confidence booster, coming from not a huge school and a growing program, it's nice to be recognized for the hard working season," LaBeau said. "We did well this year but I think next year we can raise our intensity and our overall success. It's just such an honor to be asked to play with those girls and see how they compete together, it was very humbling and rewarding."

LaBeau spent three days at Georgetown University, going against college players and graduates from across the country in drills and scrimmages, including Chatham graduate and defenseman Lauren Maiorano, who attends Dartmouth and fellow Mountain Lakes graduate Lindsey Munday, a two-time FIL World Cup gold medalist.

"I've been to tryouts where it's summer teams but I think it is different because everyone is just more experienced and all these girls are at the top of their fitness game so it's a little intimidating walking into other players that are on the same level around you and playing with them," LaBeau said. "It was great to play against those girls because you never get better competition that that."

LaBeau was not among the 38 players selected to the team, which will eventually send 18 players to compete in the 2017 FIL Women's World Cup in Surrey, England. Despite not being chosen, LaBeau was just happy to have had the experience of playing with such high-caliber players.

"I was kind of like, I gave it my best," she said. "I was shocked that they could cut half the girls that were there, every single player was so unbelievable to watch and I think that the girls they chose, they couldn't have picked a better team. I went for the experience and I had fun and I learned so that's what I was going for, no expectations, I'm just happy that I went and learned from it."

LaBeau is excited to bring what she learned from the tryout back to Lehigh and improve on this season in which the team finished 7-9 and 4-4 in conference play.

"I think it will make me a better player, I think I'll be able to bring intensity next year and more confidence to my game just because there during the tryout obviously everyone was trying to impress the coaches and every single player would go hard after every ball and every draw control, so I'll try and bring more of that into next season," LaBeau said. "It definitely makes you a better player and better competitor."